Please read before sending asks:

Updated 8 January 2022

I’m happy to accept your prayer requests, but please keep in mind that prayer compliments professional healthcare, it’s not a replacement for it. 

- For all medical emergencies, please call your local emergency number.

- If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, depression, self harm, suicidal thoughts, or just need to talk to someone, please contact a local, licensed mental health provider, reach out to counselors at Counseling and Prevention Resources or visit www.suicidestop.com for online chats, worldwide hotlines and emergency numbers, interactive media, useful information and helpful tips.

Anon asks are currently off because of taunts, insults, threats, actual curses, and people telling me they hate me or that I need Jesus. If you trust me enough to ask for a well-researched and considered answer, I think you probably also trust me enough to sign your ask so I can reply directly to you. I’m happy to help! I’m just tired of rude surprises when I open my asks.

Before sending me an ask:

- Is your question related to ancient Mediterranean religion, mythology, history or art, or about modern Hellenic and Roman polytheism/paganism? 

- Have you already tried googling your question, or checked Wikipedia or  theoi.com for an answer? I enjoy helping members of the community and I’m happy to provide direction for your research, but I’m not in the business of conducting extensive research projects.

- Have you already searched my blog or checked tags - especially #Hellenic Polytheism 101 or #Roman Polytheism 101?

- If your question is about one of my posts, have you already checked to see if I’ve recently edited or updated that particular post?

- Have you checked my sidebar, Welcome Page, and Masterpost of Hellenic and Roman Polytheism Resources?

If so, go ahead and ask!

If your question is about religion, please include your pantheon/practice (Hellenic, Roman, Graeco-Roman, Graeco-Roman-Egyptian, etc.) so I can better answer your ask!

If you find a typo, broken link, or something else that needs correcting, please dm with a link to the post and explain the problem.

If you’re a fan of this blog and enjoy my content and creations, send a message to let me know! 

If you want to do something extra-special to show how much you love this blog, please volunteer with or make a donation to an environmental/hunger/ refugee/or animal welfare non-profit - and let me know! 

May your path be blessed!  

supermarketcrush:

what’s a book you read as a teenager that was so magical and personally profound to you it literally changed your life, doesnt matter if the book was actually well written or not. mine’s probably the catcher in the rye

(via satsekhem)

jstor:

metadata-uber-alles:

disaster-revolutionary:

mellomaia:

mellomaia:

supervillainexe:

supervillainexe:

We need a digital archive of LGBTQ+ works of art, science, and every other conceivable work we can share between each other because we are beyond the genocide warning level in most countries in the west and they’re already trying to purge us from libraries.

If other people are interested I’ll make this a priority

Speaking as someone with a background in archives, stuff like this does already exist. No need to reinvent the wheel. Creating an archive and making sure it’s accessible and searchable and actually preserves things for the long time (especially digital things) is actually a huge undertaking. Show some love to these already existing collections and maybe even consider contributing. There’s the Digital Transgender Archive off the top of my head. I know more I just have to think.

The History Project, based in Boston, is an LGBTQ+ community archive that’s existed for decades. Many of their collections are digitized.

The Lesbian Herstory Archives, based in Brooklyn, is similar.

The Digital Public Library of America covers a great many topics, but they also have LGBTQ+ stuff.

I’d also recommend searching “lgbtq+” and “libguide” in your preferred search engine. Many universities list helpful resources and databases, some of which are freely accessible.

Many public and academic libraries in the US and Canada (not sure where you’re writing from) subscribe to the Gale Archives of Sexuality and Gender. If you have a library card or are a student at a given library, you can access it for free.

In general, I’d really recommend searching around to see how you can support existing museums, community archives, college and university archives, etc that specialize in LGBTQ+ history and media local to you, whether that’s in your same town or regionally.

Interactive AIDS Quilt

The National AIDS Memorial, through a partnership with the AIDS Quilt Touch team, presents all 48,000 panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in a

aidsmemorial.org

About / Visitor Info — GLBT Historical Society

About / Visitor Info — GLBT Historical Society

GLBT Historical Society

UMKC Libraries | GLAMA

UMKC Libraries | GLAMA

libweb.umkc.edu

Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

You are not alone! People are working on this and some of them have institutional budgets!

But also kind of looping back to the first post: you personally might have relevant records. Photos of Pride or protests you’ve been to, journals, a blog full of trans headcanons even. That’s all part of queer history and that’s the stuff these archives and museums are made of.

Label your stuff carefully, make backup copies, and get to know your local organizations!

We’re also working on building an open access archive and actively looking for content contributions! https://about.jstor.org/revealdigital/hiv-aids-the-arts/

(via fluffmugger)

aristoteliancomplacency:

ALT

About to flip my shit trying to find a photo of stamnos supposedly in the Louvre, but at least I came across this photo of a wine jug depicting an absolutely magnificent owl with arms and… well, arms.

Hope this helps:

theshitpostcalligrapher:

theshitpostcalligrapher:

omicronus-1326:

theshitpostcalligrapher:

theshitpostcalligrapher:

Last Commissions Before Vacation

oh god what did i get myself into with this one

I haven’t done knotwork this complicated since. Well it feels like EVER.

will keep yall posted on the progress, i’m off to do two straight hours of linework

—

edit: these are the old pics i did fix the E in KINDNESS

oughghg god my wrist. gonna take a quick snackie treat break and then get back to it

thoughts?

This is gonna look beautiful and I wish I could get a copy and frame it.

Sadly prints won’t be likely to happen. This is @striving-artist ’s commission from this post , which are words from @geekdawson and @fairyincarnate I’d need to get perms from everyone involved OR figure set up on how to pay both the OPs of the words if I were to sell prints

So unless all three folks just give me the go ahead here this’ll likely stay as a single commissioned piece

AND WE’RE CLEAR

total time: nine and a half hours

Ways to helps and tips on avoiding scams

ALT

August 13 marks the recurrence of three separate ancient Roman celebrations honoring the goddess Diana: the dies natalis (anniversary) of the dedication of her Aventine temple in Rome, the Neomoralia festival at Aricia, and the dies natalis of the Collegium of Diana and Antinous in Lanuvium.

The Aventine temple of Diana was built in the 6th century BCE. It was the oldest and most important of the Roman sanctuaries dedicated to Diana. The location was originally a wooded area located outside the pomerium (the politically neutral ground outside the sacred boundary of Rome) and reflected Rome’s formal assumption of the leadership of the Latin League.

The three-day Nemoralia was held in honor of Diana at her temple at Aricia, which was constructed in the 4th century BCE, though evidence of religious activity at the site dates to the Archaic period. The sanctuary is located in the Alban Hills, a quiescent volcanic complex about 26.4 km from Rome on the Via Appia, about a 6-hour journey by foot. It is a wooded area with mountain streams overlooking Lake Nemi, a volcanic crater lake which was known in antiquity as the speculum (“mirror”) of Diana. “Nemi” is a word derived from the Latin “nemus” meaning “holy wood.”

In antiquity, worshipers wearing flowers in their hair assembled at the Sanctuary in Nemi with torches and candles, bearing votive offerings of bread or terracotta in the shape of stags, children, and body parts in need of healing. Prayers written on ribbons were tied to trees in the sanctuary. Men, women, and slaves were free of their regular jobs and duties during this festival and the entire populace enjoyed three days of equality. Dogs also joined in the celebration, adorned with flower crowns, and hunting of was forbidden during the Nemoralia in deference to Diana, goddess of the hunt.

Dies natalis means “birthday” as well as “anniversary”. Members of the 2nd century CE Collegium of Diana and Antinoüs at Lanuvium, about 7 km from Aricia, observed the birth of Diana, their patron goddess, on this date with a feast and, at the same time, celebrated the anniversary of the founding of their society. The connection between Artemis and Antinoüs is the love of hunting The emperor Hadrian is known to have restored the Sanctuary of Diana at Aricia and likely visited it in 117 during his tour of the towns of the area. It’s not a stretch of the imagination that Antinoüs may well have accompanied him there at some later point, and perhaps they hunted the wooded hills together.

Ave, Dea Diana! Felix dies natalis!

༺✧∘⬩∘𖥔∘⬩∘✧∘⬩∘𖥔∘⬩∘✧∘⬩∘𖥔⬩🦌🌳🏛🌳🦌⬩𖥔∘⬩∘✧∘⬩∘𖥔∘⬩∘✧∘⬩∘𖥔∘⬩∘✧༻

Featured images: Sacrifice to Diana from the 4th century CE “Little Hunt” mosaic at the Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily, Italy. Photo by Jerzy Strzelecki. Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosaic_in_Villa_Romana_del_Casale,_by_Jerzy_Strzelecki,_06.jpg Image license: GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2. I cropped the image, brushed out parts of cropped elements, and brightened the color.

[Image description: In the center of the mosaic panel, a bronze statue of Diana stands on a tall, cylindrical, dark grey base. The statue is reaching behind her right shoulder with her right hand for an arrow from her quiver and holds a bow in her left hand. A short square brown altar, with a fire burning on top, is in front of the base of the statue. This arrangement is centered between two tall, thin trees with green foliage at their tops.

To the statue’s right, a hunter with short blond hair, wearing a long-sleeved yellow tunic which falls to mid-thigh and tall boots, holds the reins of a brown horse. To his immediate left, and at the right of the altar, stands a blond hunter wearing a red long-sleeved tunic which falls to mid-thigh and tall boots. He holds a plate in his left hand and with his right hand casts an offering to the goddess into the altar fire.

To the statue’s left, a hunter with brown hair, wearing a long-sleeved blue tunic which falls to mid-thigh and tall boots, holds the reins of a tan horse. To his left, a boy with brown hair wearing a brown long-sleeved tunic and tall boots leans forward to restrain a large brown hunting dog by placing his his hands on the dog’s shoulders; the dog, with ears alert, looks back over its left shoulder at the boy.]

dor-nu-fauglith:

funnytwittertweets:

Solid fucking point

a-gnosis:

Yes, I think this could be a nice cover. ^^

Today, August 9, marks the ancient Roman religious festival of Sol Indiges. This was a very ancient festival, likely seeking the blessing of the sun upon the crops and relief from excessive heat.

The meaning of the epithet “indiges” remains ambiguous, but is generally taken to indicate that the Sol to which the title applies is a native Italic deity, differentiated from both Apollo and Sol Invictus.

･:* ═══════════･:*･🌣･*:･═══════════ *:･

Image information:

Central image: “Mosaique El Jem Ali Slama.” A 3rd century CE Roman mosaic from Tunsia. Photo by Cimoi. Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mosaique_El_Jem_Ali_Slama.jpg Image license: GNU Free Documentation License,

Background: Texture background by Annie Spratt: https://unsplash.com/photos/kG-ZwDuQ8ME Image licence: https://unsplash.com/license

Remix: I cropped the image from the mosaic and applied a sharpening filter. I applied gold star elements from Pixler X to, and tinted several shades of blue over, the original background image.

[Image description: The central figure has fair, curly hair and wears a reddish brown mantle pinned at the right shoulder over a light brown tunic. The figure’s head is haloed by five golden rays. This figure is centered in an off-white circle surrounded by a gold and light brown braid which, in turn, is surrounded by an off-white circle.]

Today, August 5, marks the dies natalis (anniversary) of the dedication of the Roman temple of Salus on the Quirinal Hill in 302 BCE. The temple incurred damage and was rebuilt over the centuries but was still standing in the 4th century CE.

Salus is the goddess of the safety, health, and prosperity of the individual and, indeed, of all people. She is regarded as a daughter of Asclepius, the god of medicine, and is sometimes equated with his daughter Hygieia, goddess of cleanliness and healthy lifestyle. 

⊹⊱ ══════ ⊹ ══════⊹⊱≼≽⊰⊹══════ ⊹ ══════ ⊰⊹

Image information:

Statue of Salus Roman, marble, 3rd century CE. 175 cm/ 68 7/8 inches tall. Collection of the Getty Villa, Los Angeles, California. Image source: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/object/103SSZ Image license: Digital image courtesy of Getty’s Open Content Program.

Wall painting on black ground, supports with entrablature, from the imperial villa at Boscotrecase. Roman, Pompeii, 1st century BCE. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York. Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wall_painting_on_black_ground-_supports_with_entrablature,_from_the_imperial_villa_at_Boscotrecase_MET_DP144212.jpg

Image license:  Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

Remix: I cropped the images and deleted the background of the photo of the statue.

Image description: A statue of the Roman goddess Salus stands in the center. She is heavily robed and holds aloft an egg in her right hand; a large snake is wrapped around her left hand and forearm. A sleepy cupid rests his head against her right leg. The background is a wall from Pompeii: the bottom quarter of the wall is painted dark red, the balance of the wall is painted black and divided into panels by intricate linear designs in gold which create faux columns and entablatures decorated with birds, theater masks, and a griffin.

Discussion: The serpent and egg are symbols of longevity. Salus’ attire in this work, a palla (mantle) and long tunic, is that of a matron - or a Vestal Virgin, which is more likely as Salus is a virgin goddess. However, the hair is looped to form a bow at the crown of the head, a style which is emblematic of Venus, and a cupid dozes at the statues’ right side. One possible interpretation of these seemingly contradictory details might be the Roman Republican virtue of chastity appropriate to one’s marital status as part of a healthy lifestyle leading to a long (and respectable) life.

dduane:

vaspider:

I just need everyone to know that in a draft I just turned in, I referred to Ea-Nasir as the “Ur-Example of shady businessmen,” and I have never been prouder of a pun in my entire life.

Bravo. 😄

Thursday, August 10, 2023, at 12 pm

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Greeks and Romans were fond of dogs—not just as work animals but also as beloved pets. Taking inspiration from a Roman funerary monument depicting a plump Maltese, archaeologists Michael MacKinnon and Christina DiFabio explore how art, texts, and animal bones reveal ancient bonds with canine companions.